Sunny Side Up - Jane's Remains

Chapter 2 - 54 Bedford Gardens

I’ll be there in two minutes :) x 

Putting my phone back into my purse, I eventually decided to have a seat in the cafe already. After picking out a nice looking table, I sank into one of the cushioned rattan chairs. El and I had decided to take lunch at a nice café before she would show me the shared flat she had told me about. 

As the golden late summer sun shone softly from the sky, I noticed how the "Saint Luc" looked even nicer than I had excpected it to. It had a charming seating area outside with round marble surfaced tables and large white parasols. Peacefully sighing I leaned back in my chair and took aaround.

My face froze as I suddenly spotted two well-familiar faces. Shit. Shit. Shit. I thought and crouched down while quickly covering my face with the menu. Ben and Mirelle were about to walk past the Saint Luc. Peering at them cautiously from over the paper brim I watched as they closely walked past me.

Fortunately, they hadn't taken notice of me which I was quite happy about. A conversation with them, sitting alone at a table in a cafe, was the last thing I wanted to partake in. 

As they had passed I glared after them. My heart was aching at the sight of Ben and my former best briend being happy together – holding hands, laughing and cooing. Only three days prior, it had been me whom Ben had held hands, laughed and cooed with. 

”What are you doing?” Eleanor asked me who had appeared in front of the table all of a sudden, looking at me weirdly as I was still covering my face with the menu. 

”I- I was hiding” I explained quickly while quickly putting it back down to the table. Eleanor laughed. 

”Well, too bad - I still found you, you can’t hide from me!” she giggled as she sat down onto the chair vis-à-vis. 

”I wasn’t hiding from you” I mumbled. “I was hiding from Ben and Mirelle” 

“Your exboyfriend and his new bird?“ El asked to which I nodded. 

"Yeah - they just came walking by" I sighed.

“Oh alright, well I would’ve done the same, I guess” Eleanor admitted, biting her lower lip. 

Eleanor's gaze lingered on me for a moment but then eventually she smiled and took my hand into hers. 

”Don’t be upset! You and I are going to have an amazing day – alright?" 

”Alright” I smiled. It amazed me how nice she had been to me, although we had barely known. 

”Great! Now – what are you going to pick from the menu? I’m starving! I could eat everything! Oh look! They have chocolate cake” Eleanor rambled. 

"I love chocolate cake" I admitted with a slight smile to which Eleanor wiggled her eyebrows.

"You and I are going to get along really well" she laughed. 

*** 

Throughout our lunch we got to know each other better. Eleanor told me about her boyfriend, whose name is Louis and who is part of a band. When asking her if he had any success, her expression became slightly mysterious as she mumbled "Sort of".

Eleanor also studies economics at the same university I attended and was in her second year. Also she models part-time which explained her excellent sense of style. 

We also talked about Ben. I told her about our story - how I had met him on a cruise ship through my father whom he had worked for. How I had moved to London to be together with him and eventually, our sudden break-up.